Journey to the Core
by Auj-Oule
Summary: Wingul, a scholar fallen into disrepute, and Gaius, a lowly soldier longing for change. Their meeting is a mere coincidence, but who can say what new perspectives will open because of it? AU set in a fantasy world.


Special thanks to Zackie for listening to every stupid idea I had and giving me feedback (as well as better ideas occasionally) and to Auroraphile for being my beta reader.

* * *

The door to the watchtower was broken. Again. Gaius' eyebrow twitched. He was not going to fix it, not this time. They'd made him take another shift because of that freak storm out of nowhere that had delayed the replacement troops, which were needed because they were skimping on personnel to begin with. And now they were starting to skimp on the watchtowers, too. Great.

With a sigh, he climbed the endless staircase to the tower top, wincing as the old wooden steps creaked under his weight. He'd been on night watch for weeks and he'd barely gotten a few hours of sleep. He was not looking forward to spending yet more long, boring hours of staring at the Wilderness beyond the frontier. The steppe that marked the edge of the Wilderness was breath-taking the first time- even the second, third, fourth time- but looking at bushels of grass was bound to become boring over time, even if it _was_ of a striking gold and glowed in the night. Not even the looming mountains in the distance could be its saving grace.

And with almost complete certainty, it would be wasted time. It was all well and nice to watch the movements of the Ontulae packs to make sure they did not venture into inhabited lands, but it was an event of utmost rarity that they even came into sight from the watchtowers of the Aladhi fortress.

He threw open the trapdoor to the top, exited and... found someone already standing next to the railing. A civilian, based on his clothing.

"You're not supposed to be here."

The stranger turned around. His face was stern, forehead creased with an ever so slight frown, eyes narrowed just a bit in apprehension, eyebrows furrowed lightly, all framed by silky locks of jet black hair that was topped by a single stray strand tinged in yellow. His clothes were finely made and looked expensive, as did the thin sword hanging by his side.

"It wasn't difficult to get in. Your predecessor did not do a very good job of locking the door." The stranger turned back to looking at the vast steppe- the borderlands of the Wilderness.

Gaius stepped next to him. "That's because our job isn't to make sure nobody comes up here. I don't know why _you_ did, either."

"I was merely curious. I've never seen the Wilderness with my own eyes. Have you ever entered it? On an expedition, or a patrol, perhaps?" The stranger didn't look at him as he asked, but kept his eyes fixed on the steppe, leaning slightly over the railing.

"Me? As if I was important enough for that. But if you've seen the steppe from here, you've seen all you need without any of the dangers, and these days few expeditions ever go any further," Gaius said. "Why do you ask? Mere curiosity again?"

An Ontula unburrowed in the distance and hurried across the plains. The stranger's eyes traced it until it vanished in the tall grass before he spoke up again. "Curiosity. Yes. Was that an Ontula?"

"I thought you'd never seen the Wilderness."

"Correct. This is my first time to any of the frontier fortresses. I came prepared, however." The stranger reached for the bag standing at his feet and pulled out a book; _A_ _Wilderness_ _Bestiary_ , authored by Ortega Kitarl, Gaius could read. "I'm a scholar. My field of research pertains to the Wilderness."

"You studied something you've never even seen? An egghead, aren't you?" Gaius chuckled.

"Better an egghead than a lowly foot soldier wasting his life looking at nothing in particular, don't you think?" Had he hit a nerve there? The stranger sounded miffed.

"Ha! I suppose I deserved that." Gaius couldn't help but sound bitter. He _should_ have been promoted long ago, leaving behind the watchtowers and endless shifts of staring into nothingness while waiting for something to happen. "Anyway... Are you going to stick around for a while?"

"Probably. I'm not sure for how long, though."

Maybe he was too forward but, Gaius thought, he was cute and if he didn't ask now... "Would you like to join me for lunch later? I know where to get the good and affordable stuff."

The stranger looked at him askance and, just as Gaius thought he really had gone too far, he nodded. "How crude of you to ask me out before introducing yourself. But... why not?"

"Forgive my manners, oh egghead. I'm Gaius."

"My name is Wingul. I'm not sure if 'Pleased to meet you' would accurately convey my feelings on the matter, but... I suppose it counts." A vaguely amused look had crept on his face.

"Well, in that case, Wingul, let's meet at the tower base when my shift ends."

When the time came, Wingul made his way back to the tower, his ever-present bag at his side. It had taken far too long to compile its contents. He had no intention of leaving it lying around somewhere.

The way through town once again struck him as interesting. He had been complemented to what was supposed to be the city's best inn, and it was indeed a good accommodation, as was the quarter it was located in. Although one had to notice it was a military town; even the civilian quarters were comprised of fortified stone buildings to protect against the dangers of the wilderness.

But _these_ parts... they looked decrepit. The road he was walking might have once been paved properly, but now huge patches of cobblestone were missing, exposing the steppe dirt below. Rooftops were missing tiles, windows were nailed shut... The inhabitants didn't look much better. Their clothes were torn and tattered, mended and mended again, and not all of them looked like they had enough to eat. He could feel their glares as he passed, but thankfully none of them tried to rob him.

This city was not in a good state.

He had chosen a smaller, less important border fortress on purpose, but he had not expected it to be this shabby. It was a sorry sight to see, if he thought of the recent tax raises in the name of financing the border guard. What was King Nachtigal doing with that money? Ever since chief of staff Ilbert had left, things had gone downhill.

Not that any of that was of any concern to him, though.

Gaius was already waiting for him when he arrived.

"Am I late?"

"No, just in time. Let's stop by the barracks first so I can change."

As they walked, Wingul side eyed Gaius. He'd been too distracted by the steppe before, but he was actually quite handsome. A tall, tan man with hair as dark as his own and eyes of a stark magenta tone. If he'd worn appropriate armor, he would not have looked out of place in the murals of the wars of old, as one of the great generals. But, as it was, he was a lowly foot soldier and looked the part, with armor dented and scratched.

He was torn from his thoughts when Gaius spoke up. "You know, you said you're a scholar, but your clothes are that of a rich man. A coat decorated with black harpy feathers? That must have cost a fortune. Do they pay scholars so well?"

"My parents were rich enough that I am able to indulge myself every now and then, as well as fund my research. Mere luck. Nothing else." It was a shame that ancestry never failed to come up- but, then again, with his choice of attire, maybe it was his own fault.

"So you are a nobleman, then. Why aren't you associating with your own class instead of a poor sod like me?" There was a hint of scorn in Gaius' voice. Wingul couldn't blame him. Noblemen were not known for their fondness of the lower class.

"I'm afraid we are not yet close enough for me to talk about my private life. Suffice it to say that I have my reasons for preferring the company of such a poor sod."

Much to Wingul's relief, Gaius pried no more. The conversation veered towards less touchy subjects and as they walked along the dusty roads leading to the barracks, Wingul found himself enjoying it. The last years had given him little opportunity for innocuous small talk and it was... nice... to speak to someone at eye level for once.

"Well, we're here. Wait a moment, will you?" Gaius waved to Wingul and pushed the door open with some difficulty. The upper hinge was still broken, but requests for a repair were met with the excuse of not having enough money.

Of course there wouldn't be enough money if the general of the fortress kept squandering it on that monstrous collection of fine coats he maintained.

After arriving in his tiny speck of a room, he undid the clasps of his worn armor and dumped it in the chest next to his bed with a frustrated sigh. That, too, needed to be replaced, but he had little hope that would happen anytime soon.

He grabbed his coat from the chest and examined it. It wasn't nearly as fancy as Wingul's. No special cut, no adornments, just black wool. It wasn't that he _wanted_ a fancy high-class one, but it struck him as unfair that the man had never had to work for his fortune.

But maybe he shouldn't judge him knowing so little about his situation. He certainly didn't seem to share the disdain other noblemen had for people of lower status. What an oddball he was. A nobleman who didn't want to interact with his own class, who worked as a scholar and carried a sword?

As he approached the door outside again, he could hear loud voices.

"What's a gilded leech like you doing here, huh?"

He threw open the door and saw two of his fellow soldiers standing in front of Wingul, who looked at them without batting an eye.

"I am merely waiting for someone. If you have a problem with my presence, I suggest you take it up to the one who invited me here."

One of the men grabbed his collar. Before Gaius could step in, Wingul's sword flew from its scabbard and was pointed at the man's throat.

"I suggest you do not do that. I don't appreciate being touched."

Uh oh. That was escalating quickly. "Hey!" Gaius called. "I was the one who brought him here. Leave him alone. He's my guest."

For a second it seemed like the two guards wouldn't go quietly, but then the first one turned away with a muttered curse and the second followed.

"Thank you for the help." Wingul sounded rather indifferent to what happened.

Gaius shrugged. "I did bring you here, after all. However, a scholar such as yourself should know better than to draw a blade on a soldier here.. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't intervened? If you haven't guessed it yet, noblemen aren't exactly looked at kindly here."

"And what was I supposed to do, then?" Wingul shot him a cool glance. "I am not about to have others step on me."

"You have a point. Maybe I shouldn't have brought you here. But there's no use in crying over spilled soup. Let's go before anything else happens."

Wingul nodded and they left the barracks courtyard together.

"You seemto know what you're doing with that sword. Does your family have a military background? Nobles don't usually learn to wield a weapon otherwise, do they?"

There was a moment of hesitation on Wingul's side before he answered. "Yes. My father was a high ranking officer. I was taught to use a sword from young age, although I never excelled at it."

There seemed to be a story to be told there, but Gaius didn't pry. Wingul didn't look like he was willing to share.

They left the military zones and crossed into a civilian quarter. It was one of the nicer ones in the fortress town. Nothing compared to the high-class areas, of course, but at least it was clean and reasonably well-maintained.

The two of them slowly made their way through the alleys until they arrived at the Rolando Lodge, the best inn in town...

...of the ones he could afford, anyway.

It was one of the few buildings in the town to use wood, as it was modelled after the houses in the East of Rieze Maxia. It even had the typical prayer pennants hanging outside.

"Interesting. An Ajuri-style inn?"

Gaius nodded. "You know your architecture. Or are you from Auj-Oule as well?"

"Yes. I grew up there, although I moved to Rashugal to further my research years ago. It's been a while since I've seen this style. Do they serve Ajuri food as well?"

"Yes," Gaius said. There was a faint smile on Wingul's face. Nostalgia? "The owner comes from a town on the border between the two- Leronde, if you've heard of it. She serves both kinds, and some mixed dishes to boot."

"A pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to find something like this here. Thank you for showing it to me."

Gaius chuckled. "Just you wait until you try the food. It's great." He reached out to open the door, then stopped. "Oh. Er, don't cause any trouble in there. You'll regret it immediately."

Wingul looked like he was about to ask, but Gaius didn't wait for him to finish.

The inside was clean as always, and filled with patrons. The Rolando Lodge was very popular with locals, who always liked to recommend it to travellers.

The owner, a homely looking woman, looked up from sweeping the floor. "Gaius! It's about time you found yourself a date!"

Gaius didn't dare look at Wingul as he replied: "It's... not like that, Sonia..."

"Then better get to work!" With a laugh, Sonia motioned to a table. "You two sit down and I'll have my husband fix you a meal to set the mood!"

By now the other patrons were staring. Wingul had a sour look on his face as they made their way to the table and Sonia disappeared into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry. Sonia can be a little... direct." Gaius looked at him apologetically.

"That's an understatement," Wingul muttered. "I can't say this is what I expected." He shook his head. "Or that I appreciate the sentiment, but I've had worse things assumed about me, so... let's not discuss it further."

"Agreed," Gaius said. The other guests were losing interests and the tense atmosphere dissipated slowly.

"You come here often, I gather? The owner seemed to know you well," Wingul asked.

"Yes. The mess hall isn't very good; the cook is too careless with the spices." Gaius grimaced. Just thinking of it was almost enough to give him heartburn. "So I come here instead. It's more expensive, but definitely worth it."

Sonia poked her head out of the kitchen. "Oi, Gaius! What does your date want to eat?"

Wingul sighed, but didn't comment on it. "Ajuri Curry. Extra spicy. And porange wine. ...Say nothing. Let's change the subject."

"Well then..." Gaius thought for a second. "You mentioned your research. What is it that you're researching, exactly?"

Wingul's face darkened at once, far more so than before when the topic had become too personal for him. Gaius frowned. Why would he react that way? People studying the Wilderness was in no way unusual... and what kind of scholar _didn't_ like talking about his research?

"If you don't want to talk about it…"

"It's controversial," Wingul said quietly.

"In what way? Moral ambiguity? Did you run unethical experiments?" If that was the case, then... Gaius wasn't sure what he would do.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. They just... see it as a waste of time. It's hardly a widely accepted field of research," Wingul said.

"I assume the chief eggheads don't approve of it, so nobody believes you."

Wingul's lips twitched, but he didn't look happy. "That's an excellent way of summing it up."

"And you were probably laughed at."

A nod.

"Well, you don't have to worry then. I'm not going to laugh. Hell, I don't think I would know even if your theory was as ridiculous as they think."

Wingul narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, thinking for a moment.

"Why should I laugh? It's not like I don't know what it's like to be disrespected." He was curious by now, he had to admit that. Not being a scholar he wasn't sure how much of it he would understand, but he could give it a try.

"Hmph... Fine. It hardly matters if one more person thinks I'm crazy." Wingul leaned back and hesitated. The buzzing of the other patrons' conversation filled the room, but no words could be made out. Just as Gaius began to feel impatient, he spoke up again. "My field of research is... magic."

"Magic?" Gaius blinked. "You mean like... folklore? But that wouldn't get you ridicule..."

Wingul nodded. "Correct. I'm not studying it in a folkloristic frame. I am studying it as a real, tangible force that used to exist." He looked at him expectantly, as if prompting him to laugh.

"Huh. That's quite a bit stranger than I expected. I was always told magic was just a myth. But for all I know you're right and everyone else is wrong, so... go on?"

"That... that's not what _I_ expected. You're the first one so far who hasn't responded with derision..." He paused for a moment. "I know my theory sounds outlandish, but the evidence I assembled supports it."

Gaius leaned forward. "You're making me curious. What kind of evidence is there?"

"Curious about what everyone considers a fairy tale? You're an unusual man. Most people wouldn't even bother asking." He leaned sideways and carefully retrieved a piece of parchment from the bag he'd been carrying around. "This is the culmination of years of research. Be careful with it, please."

It was a map of the Wilderness; an extremely detailed map that showed places nowhere to be found even on the official military maps- which were supposed to be the most complete ones in existence. Exploring the Wilderness was notoriously difficult; many who set out to do it never came back and thus the official maps certainly didn't show every place in existence, but how would Wingul know of these unheard of locations? Was he just a nut job after all?

He handed him the parchment again. "This map doesn't conform to the official ones. And what does this have to do with magic?"

"I know what you want to say." Wingul didn't put the map back into his bag. " _They_ told me it was nonsense as well, and I admit it may be wrong in places. It was compiled from a wide variety of sources, many of them ancient... Ah, I assume you don't know why that is a problem. The Ancients had a penchant for using overly poetic descriptions in their geography. This mountain labelled as Third Inverted Heaven? That's the actual name they used. It took me a long time to figure out it was a mountain. I won't bore you with the details. It involved years of research and cross-comparing, and even now it's likely inaccurate."

Gaius looked at the map again. It was full of strange names. "History is very interesting, but it takes a special breed to enjoy that kind of work."

"To be sure," Wingul said. "But you asked what this map has to do with magic. My original project was nothing more than to decipher the Ancients' geography. However, during that, I discovered a great many parallels between different texts suggesting that magic, as a force of nature to be harnessed by humans, originated in the Wilderness, in a place they called Threshold of Insanity. I haven't been able to figure out what kind of place it is, but I know where it's located. At first I merely assumed they were superstitious about that place, but then I came across something very interesting..."

"You aren't going to tell me you figured out how magic works, are you?"

"Not exactly, no. I can't use it; the existing records say nobody can anymore. What I found is this..." He pulled a small shiny black box out of his bag. Gaius could see his reflection in it. "Unfortunately for both of us, it no longer works. I tried everything, but I can't repeat what it did when I came across it... which is why my theories were rejected. I doubt _you_ are going to believe me."

"Or maybe don't make assumptions, and tell me what it did in the first place."

"...Right." Wingul cleared his throat. "When I first examined it, it started a... a firework of sorts, one that emitted no heat at all. I have not found any explanation for how else that could have happened... Oh, stop looking at me like that. I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"It's... it's the opposite." Gaius stared at the innocuous little box. "That sounds like the box I once found..."

Wingul's eyes widened and he leaned forward. "Do you still have it? Do you know if it had any inscriptions? Did it"

"Hey, hey, quiet. The other patrons are staring. Yes, I still have it. It's in my room."

"I want to see it." The parchment nearly slipped from Wingul's fingers as he put it back in the bag along with the box. "You have to show it to me."

"Sure. We should eat our food first, though... Sonia's going to chase us through the entire town if we don't." Gaius looked over Wingul's shoulder, where Sonia approached with their meals.

"Damn right I will, boy! You eat up before you do whatever you've been talking about."

Wingul blinked and sank back into his chair. "You're right. There's no point in rushing off."

But then, Wingul couldn't keep himself from wolfing down his food. It was delicious, but he was too antsy, too excited, to enjoy it properly. _There_ _was_ _another_ _box._ Maybe he could make it work and show it to the world...! They would try to refute that it was magic, but he knew it was- and he knew they would not be able to find a different explanation. They'd have to believe him...

Finally, Gaius finished the last scraps of his meal and leaned back. "Stop fidgeting already. We just need to pay and then we can go."

"I'm not fidgeting," Wingul said as he forced himself to sit still. The owner was going to collect their payments now, right? He spotted her at the counter talking to a young, brown-haired girl. She appeared to be nodding enthusiastically, and Sonia bopped her on the head in response. He started tapping his foot again without even really noticing until Sonia looked up from lecturing the girl and saw Gaius waving.

"Boy, he's eager to leave, isn't he? Your date went really well, or really bad, I assume," Sonia said with a chuckle as she came over. Wingul found his eyebrow twitching with annoyance at her continuous insistence that they were on a date, but decided against saying anything. It wasn't important now. He pulled out a number of bills and handed them to Sonia, telling her to keep the rest (he didn't particularly care how much he had just tipped), then waited for Gaius to finish quibbling with her.

As they walked back the same way they had come, Gaius asked: "What are you going to do if you can't get mine to work again either?"

"Proceed as planned, of course. I didn't exactly expect to find a second box here." Perhaps he wouldn't need to follow through with his original plan. Perhaps he would find his proof right here in the city.

"I didn't think you had a plan. You told me you came for sightseeing."

"So I did," Wingul said. "But my plans don't concern you. I've told you a lot, but I won't tell you everything."

"Fair enough."

Silence fell. Wingul didn't care to uphold the conversation.

As they turned around a corner, a young man wearing a lab coat walked into Wingul. He stumbled backwards and dropped the device he'd been holding.

"Aaah, I'm sorry-" He scrambled to pick up the device, a rod with some sort of antenna attached, and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness it's not broken, that would have set back the measurements... Oh, ah, I'm so sorry for my carelessness, but I really need to get going."

And with that he was off. Wingul looked after him as he hurried down the street.

"Strange thing he was carrying. I've never seen anything like it. You're the scholar, what was it?" Gaius asked.

Wingul shrugged. "A scholar I may be, but I'm hardly an expert on all subjects. My field of expertise is not generally concerned with measurements, either. Go after him if you really want to know."

"I'm more interested in the boxes right now. Let's get going."

They reached the barracks courtyard and Wingul accompanied Gaius inside. The inside hardly looked any better than the ramshackle outside, Wingul noted. The broken door was only the beginning. Floorboards were missing and the chairs he could see in a side room did not look safe to sit on.

After walking through a cramped corridor Gaius stopped at a battered door. The paint was peeling off and it gave a terrible screech when he pushed it open.

"It's not much, but make yourself at home."

It really wasn't much, Wingul thought. Certainly nothing compared to the accommodations he was used to. The room housed a bed with visibly mended bedding, a small chest of drawers, a chair that was missing a leg and a cracked table. This was what he lived in all the time?

But none of that now. He had more important matters to deal with.

"Well, where's the box?"

Gaius took it from the drawer and tossed it to him.

"Don't _do_ that! Do you know how _valuable_ that is?!" Wingul yelped as he rushed to catch it. "What if that broke it?"

"It's been through worse." Gaius shrugged. "I always thought of it as a toy."

A toy? A _toy_? That was a priceless artifact of the ancients... Wingul shook his head and then turned to examine the box. The inscriptions on it were old and faded, but he could make out what they said. The instructions seemed to be exactly the same as on his own, and when he pressed the buttons...

...nothing happened.

He tried again, and a third time, to no avail, before finally giving up with a frustrated sigh. "It's not working either, it seems. I was hoping to find proof here..." He set the box down on the table next to him before continuing. "Out of curiosity, where did you find it? And what exactly did it do when you activated it?"

"There were ruins where I grew up. Nobody ever seemed interested in them, so we often went there to play. One day I found the box and when I picked it up activated the firework. It was exactly as you described it- a firework that emitted no heat whatsoever." He stopped for a moment. "I couldn't repeat it later, and of course, nobody believed _me_ either."

"I see. Those ruins must have been of the ancients, too." Under different circumstances, that would have interested him, but now someone else would have to take care of it. "Do me a favour and send the location of those ruins to the college of history. Here, you can have it back..." Wingul picked up the box."

"Keep it," Gaius said. "I don't have much need for it. Maybe you can use it for something."

Wingul shook his head. "Thank you, but I don't think I'll need it. Not anymore."

"Come now, you sound as though you're going to kill yourself over this. But if you don't want it..."

"Of course not. Don't be stupid. But if I'm going from here, I won't need it. Thank you for showing it to me. I'll take my leave now." He put the box back on the table and turned to the door.

"Nah," Gaius said. "You've been dropping hints about your original plan ever since we came here. Don't leave me hanging like that."

Wingul rolled his eyes. "Must I repeat myself? My plans don't concern you. Don't pretend we're closer than we actually are. We met _today._ And we're not going to meet again either, in all likelihood."

"There you go again with the hints! Where _are_ you going that makes you say that? You sound as though you're planning something crazy, like venturing out into the Wilderness by yourself. ...Wait. You talked about finding proof. You talked about magic originating in a certain place in the Wilderness..."

He looked at him with wide eyes. "You _are_ going to the Wilderness. You're crazy."


End file.
